The American Gem Society will honor Robert Crowningshield of the GIA as the 2003 AGS Lifetime Achievement Award winner during AGS’s Circle of Distinction Dinner, Tuesday, July 29 at the Rainbow Room, New York.

Tickets for the dinner may be purchased by contacting the AGS’s membership department at 702-255-6500. Those planning to attend are encouraged to reserve seats immediately before they are sold out.

At the dinner, AGS will also honor the Triple Zero Award winners, signifying the highest grade a diamond can receive in AGS nomenclature. The AGS Triple Zero Awards will be presented to members of the jewelry industry for their accomplishments and contributions. The 2003 recipients are given in three categories, Diamond, Retail and Industry, and recipients are as follows: The Kwiat Family: Jacques Roisen, Sheldon F. Kwiat, Lowell M. Kwiat and David S. Kwiat; Lee Berg of Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry; and Cecilia Gardner of the Jewelers Vigilance Committee.

The Circle of Distinction Benefactors and Richard T. Liddicoat Journalism Award winners are also recognized on this evening. Medallions are presented to each of the COD Benefactors to represent their contributions to the Society’s Partnership for Excellence campaign, which funds the AGS Campus Expansion project. The RTL awards were developed in remembrance of Richard T. Liddicoat to honor journalists that have made exceptional contributions to the understanding of gemology, as well as AGS ideals of ethics, education and consumer protection. The RTL Award winners that will be honored are John I. Koivula of Gems & Gemology, Noah Rothbaum and Stephanie Williams of Smart Money and Laura Catalano of The Mercury (Pottstown, Pennsylvania).

“We are very pleased to honor and celebrate the achievements of our colleagues on this special night,” said Ruth Batson, AGS executive director and CEO. “The contributions made by this year’s honorees have been tremendous to the continued growth and development of the jewelry industry, as well as the American Gem Society.”

JCK